Then again, it was Gasol's first action after missing four games because of vertigo. He scored nine points with four rebounds in 28 minutes.

"Definitely, definitely got to do better. We weren't very productive out there together," said Gasol, who experienced lingering effects of his illness while making turns on the court and said he might have come back too soon.

Said Kaman: "I didn't think it went that well. I didn't feel comfortable. I don't think Pau felt comfortable. I think all of it just felt off. It wasn't what I thought it would be."

In the ripple-effect category, Jordan Hill's playing time was reduced to zero minutes. Wesley Johnson was also benched for the Lakers (25-49).

Portland had the better two towers, one of them 6-3 point guard Damian Lillard, who scored 34 points and dunked ferociously over Kaman on a second-quarter drive. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge added 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Trail Blazers (49-27).

Kaman, by the way, showed a different side.

In a departure from his recent anti-D'Antoni rhetoric, he stepped back Tuesday from his persistent needling of the coach's refusal to play him.

"For as much heat as he takes, I don't think he has had a fair shot at it either, with all the injuries," Kaman said. "He's not trying to hurt anybody. He's not purposefully doing anything negatively. I think he's just trying to do the best he can with what we've got."

It was a metaphor for the season. Even the usually combative Kaman was taking the path of least resistance.